Metaphor in Sonnet 19

This metaphor for aging and declining strength repeats the idea of the first line in this poem. Like the Lion losing its claws, the Tiger loses the quality that makes it fierce and powerful. This repetition underscores the inevitable decay of all things.

The earth devouring her brood is a metaphor for burial. It is also an illustration of a life cycle: that which creates you, the earth or nature, is that which destroys you. This represents the cyclical nature of time and ironically undercuts the speaker’s claim within this sonnet: though he tells Time that he will preserve the youth in his poetry forever, this metaphor demonstrates that inevitably cyclical Time will win out.